No More Lies

No More Lies
I found Darian and Marcus near the northern edge of the settlement. They were crouched behind a storage shed, watching the guest quarters where Celeste was staying.
"Anything?" I asked quietly.
Marcus shook his head. "She hasn't left. Been in there for the past hour. Could be resting. Could be waiting."
"Or she could be with whoever helped her," Darian added.
I crouched beside them. "Connor wants me visible. Acting normal. But I can't just walk around while you two do all the work."
"You're not doing nothing," Marcus said. "You're proving you're not hiding. That matters."
A pack member walked past. Saw us. Frowned. Kept walking. The suspicion was thick. Uncomfortable. Made my skin crawl.
"We need to draw her out," Darian said. "Make her think she's won. Make her confident enough to get careless."
"How?"
Before anyone could answer, movement caught my eye. Celeste's door opened. She emerged. Still bruised. Still playing victim. But there was something different in her posture. Satisfied. Pleased.
She walked toward the market. Slow. Deliberate. Like she was inviting attention.
"Follow her," Marcus said. "But stay back. Don't let her see you."
We moved through the settlement. Keeping distance. Using houses and crowds as cover. Celeste stopped at several stalls. Talked with pack members. Showed them her injuries. Let them sympathize. Let them see her as the victim.
She was good. Convincing. Playing her role perfectly.
Then she did something unexpected. She bought food. Bread. Cheese. Dried meat. Two portions. Not one. Two.
"She's feeding someone," I whispered.
Darian nodded. "Keep following."
Celeste left the market. Walked toward the eastern side of the settlement. Away from the guest quarters. Away from the main buildings. Toward an area mostly used for storage.
We followed at a greater distance. Harder to hide here. Less cover. Less foot traffic.
She approached an old barn. Used for keeping tools. Equipment. Things that weren't needed daily. The door was slightly ajar.
Celeste looked around. Checking. Making sure no one was watching. Then she slipped inside.
We waited. Counted to thirty. Then Marcus moved forward. Silent. Professional. Years of training evident in every step.
He reached the barn. Pressed his ear to the door. Listened. Then gestured us forward.
Darian and I approached. Marcus pointed to a gap in the wooden slats. Large enough to see through. Small enough to stay hidden.
I looked through. Saw Celeste inside. And she wasn't alone. A man stood with her. Tall. Dark haired. Vampire. I could tell from the way he moved. Too graceful. Too still.
They were talking in low voices. I couldn't hear the words. But their body language was familiar. Intimate. This wasn't a business arrangement. This was personal.
"Who is that?" I whispered.
Marcus looked through another gap. His eyes widened. "Bastian Landon. Celeste's younger brother."
"Her brother is here?" Darian's voice was tight. Angry. "In pack territory without announcing himself? Without permission?"
"Looks like it."
We watched as Celeste handed him the food. He ate quickly. Efficiently. Like he'd been waiting. Like he was hungry.
"How long has he been here?" I asked.
"Since before the attack, clearly," Marcus said. "He's the one who staged her room. Who made the injuries look legitimate from outside while she did the rest herself."
Darian's hands clenched into fists. "We need Connor. Need to document this. Need proof before they disappear."
"I'll get Connor," I said. "You two stay here. Make sure they don't leave."
I ran back toward the main settlement. Fast. Urgent. Found Connor in his office going over documents.
"Celeste's brother is here," I said. Breathless. "Bastian Landon. He's been hiding in the old barn. We think he staged the attack."
Connor's expression turned to stone. "Show me."
We returned to the barn. Connor, Elizabeth, and three of his most trusted warriors. We approached quietly. Carefully. No noise. No warning.
Connor gestured for the warriors to surround the building. All exits covered. No escape. Then he walked to the main door and pulled it open.
Celeste and Bastian turned. Shock on both their faces. Caught. Undeniable. Together.
"Alpha Connor," Celeste said. Recovery fast. Impressive. "This isn't what it looks like."
"It looks like you've been harboring an unauthorized vampire in my territory," Connor said. His voice was deadly calm. "It looks like you've been lying. Staging attacks. Manipulating my pack."
"My brother arrived yesterday. After the attack. I was frightened. I asked him to stay close. To protect me."
"Then why didn't you inform me? Why hide him?"
"I didn't want to cause problems. Didn't want to seem demanding."
"Liar." Bastian's voice. Sharp. Angry. He stepped forward. Looked at Celeste with disgust. "I'm done with this. Done with your schemes."
Celeste's face went pale. "Bastian, don't—"
"She brought me here two weeks ago," he said to Connor. Ignoring Celeste completely. "Smuggled me into your territory. Told me to stay hidden. To help her win Darian back. To do whatever was necessary."
"That's not true," Celeste said. Her voice rising. Desperate. "He's lying. He's confused. He—"
"I staged the attack last night," Bastian continued. Voice flat. Factual. "Broke into her room. Made it look like forced entry. She did the bruises herself this morning. Timed them perfectly. Made herself look like a victim so the Council would rule in her favor."
The barn went silent. Everyone staring. The confession hung in the air. Undeniable. Clear. True.
Celeste's mask finally cracked. Shattered. Her face twisted with rage. "You bastard. You absolute bastard. After everything I've done for you. After I covered for your debts. Your mistakes. Your—"
"Enough." Connor's voice cut through her tirade. "You have five minutes to gather your belongings. Then you're leaving my territory. Both of you. You're no longer welcome here."
"You can't do that. I have rights. The Council—"
"The Council will hear about this. About your lies. Your manipulation. Your unauthorized presence in pack territory. About harboring a vampire without permission. About staging an attack to frame one of my pack members. All of it."
"They won't believe you. It's my word against his. A brother who's clearly unstable. Who has gambling debts and addiction problems. Who—"
"They'll believe the evidence," Marcus said. He held up his phone. "Which I've been recording. Every word. Every confession. All documented."
Celeste's face went from pale to gray. "No. No, you can't—"
"Five minutes," Connor repeated. "Or I have you forcibly removed. Your choice."
Celeste looked around. At all of us. At the warriors blocking exits. At the complete destruction of her plans. Her schemes. Her perfect manipulation.
Then she turned and walked out. Head high. Still trying to maintain dignity. Still refusing to accept defeat.
Bastian didn't follow immediately. He looked at Darian. "I'm sorry. About all of it. She convinced me you belonged together. That Lyra was the problem. That we were helping you. I was wrong."
"Why tell the truth now?" Darian asked.
"Because I watched what she did. How she baited Lyra. How she spread lies. How she was willing to destroy innocent people for what she wanted. That's not love. That's obsession. And I won't be part of it anymore."
He left. Followed Celeste toward the guest quarters. Leaving us in the barn. Leaving us with the evidence. The confession. The proof we needed.
"The Council representatives arrive in two hours," Connor said. "We'll present this immediately. Show them what Celeste tried to do. Show them the truth."
"Will they still convene?" Elizabeth asked. "Without Celeste present?"
"They'll have to. The petition was filed formally. They have to rule. But this changes everything. This proves Lyra and Darian were telling the truth. That Celeste was the manipulator. The liar. The threat."
I couldn't speak. Could barely breathe. Relief and shock mixing together. Making me dizzy.
Darian's arm wrapped around me. Steadied me. "It's over. She's gone. We won."
"Not yet," Marcus said. "Not until the Council rules. But we have what we need now. We have proof."
We walked back to the main settlement. Celeste and Bastian were already leaving. Two horses. Their belongings packed. Warriors escorting them to the border. Making sure they actually left.
Celeste didn't look at me. Didn't acknowledge any of us. Just rode away. Defeated. Exposed. Finished.
The pack members who'd gathered to watch whispered. Shocked. Some looked ashamed. They'd believed her. Had doubted me. Had thought I was guilty.
But others looked relieved. Vindicated. They'd known. Had trusted. Had waited for the truth to emerge.
Connor raised his voice. "The Council representatives arrive in two hours. When they do, we'll present evidence of Celeste Landon's manipulation. Her lies. Her staged attack. Justice will be served. Truth will be shown. Lyra is innocent. Completely innocent."
Some pack members nodded. Others still looked uncertain. But the tide was turning. The truth was winning.
"Come on," Darian said. "Let's get cleaned up. Prepare for the Council. Finish this properly."
We walked back to Elizabeth's house. The bond hummed. Satisfied. Relieved. We'd survived. We'd won. We'd proven the truth.
But it wasn't over yet. The Council still had to rule. Still had to make their decision official. Still had to acknowledge that we were real. That we deserved to be together. That our baby deserved both parents.